A Message from the President

Digi-Key is one of the fastest growing distributors of electronic components in the world.

Since its founding in 1972, Digi-Key has been committed to offering the broadest selection of in-stock electronic components, as well as providing the best service possible to its customers, aiding engineers through the entire design process, from Prototype to Production®. This has led the company to be highly ranked year after year in industry surveys, in North America as well as Europe and Asia, in categories covering such facets of business as availability of product, speed of service, responsiveness to problems, and more.

Our top rankings in so many categories prove we are customer-driven. Our service and support systems have been specifically designed to respond to the needs of our customers. These systems are continually reviewed and modified to respond to changes as we work to achieve the "ultimate" level of customer service.

Digi-Key is unique in many ways that translate into better service for you, our customers.

1. Authorized Distribution

Digi-Key is an authorized distributor of electronic components for more than 750 industry-leading suppliers. This means Digi-Key customers can rest assured that the product they order is authentic and comes to Digi-Key directly from the manufacturer.

In an effort to educate customers and significantly decrease the amount of counterfeit product on the market, Digi-Key gained membership in ECIA (Electronic Components Industry Association) in North America, ECSN (Electronic Component Supply Network) in the United Kingdom, and CEDA (China Electronics Distributor Alliance) in China.

2. Breadth of Product

At any given time, more than 1,000,000 products are in stock and ready to be shipped from Digi-Key’s headquarters in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA. That means there are no lead times for in-stock products.

Having so many products in stock in our expandable distribution space of more than 700,000 square feet (65,032 square meters) allows us to ship 99% of all orders the same day they are placed. On average, Digi-Key ships nearly 15,000 orders per day.

3. Support/Resources

Whether you need assistance finding the right part or recommendations for your design, Digi-Key’s Customer Service, Applications Engineering, and Technical Support teams and resources are at your disposal 24 hours a day, seven days a week via telephone, or e-mail.

Digi-Key's Production Business and Supply Chain Management services are available to help customers get their jobs done and get their products to market quickly and efficiently.

Digi-Key's website is the top-rated and most-visited website in the electronic distribution industry. Content and services we offer on our website continue to rapidly evolve, and we are committed to providing you with full access to Digi-Key's products and services through the Internet.

Digi-Key Company History

Digi-Key is one of the fastest growing distributors of electronic components in the world.

It was Dr. Ronald A. Stordahl's interest in ham radio that provided the springboard for what has become Digi-Key today.

While in college he assembled and began selling a digital electronic keyer kit for sending radiotelegraph code for ham radio operators. It was called the Digi-Key.

After obtaining his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Stordahl returned to his hometown of Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The keyer kit was discontinued and he began selling electronic components in 1972. The Digi-Key "keyer" is long gone, but Digi-Key has become one of the fastest growing electronic component distributors in the world. We continue to operate on the premise of providing our customers – you – with superior service, focusing on the key areas of product selection, product availability, on-time delivery, and responsiveness.

From the start, Digi-Key used direct marketing as its exclusive means of reaching potential customers. In its first ten years, marketing efforts were focused on the electronic hobbyist. Then, in 1982, the company began directing catalog mailings to the commercial market. As a result, the commercial user has grown from 20 percent of total business to more than 98 percent.

Over the years, Digi-Key has done business with some interesting customers. Components purchased from Digi-Key are found in satellites orbiting the earth. We've sold components to Paramount Pictures for use in science fiction movies. Barry Goldwater once purchased a digital clock kit. Disneyland and the Space Agency are also included on our customer list. In fact, 99 of the top 100 electronic companies in the United States have done business with Digi-Key.

In just a few short years, Digi-Key moved from being the 16th largest to the 4th largest among the more than 300 electronic distributors in North America. Today, Digi-Key is the 4th largest electronic component distributor in North America and the 6th largest worldwide. It is Digi-Key's customer-centered business philosophy that continues to drive the company's rapid growth.

"The good idea still remains," according to Stordahl, "Along with a great group of people dedicated to providing the best possible service to our customers. Service is the key."

Industry Survey Results/Methodology

Electronic Specifier is Europe's premier publisher of information resources to the Global Electronics Industry, with a portfolio that includes 6 magazines in 3 languages as well as 15 websites and vertically targeted microsites across 6 languages. The Electronic Specifier audience members were surveyed to identify distributors with whom they have done business and to capture their performance ratings across several business-related and technical support factors.

Digi-Key was a "factor leader" across a variety of categories:

Overall performance

Breadth of product line

Availability of product

BOM (Bill-of-Materials coverage)

Supply chain services

Global distribution services

Customer service

Accuracy of orders

Correct documentation with orders

Range of value-added services

Prototype and design

Availability of leading edge technology

Active components

Passive components

Connectors

Useful website

Value of overall content

Value of technical information

Product search engine

Product ordering mechanism

Ease of navigation

Organization of site

Access speed

Methodology:

Electronic Specifier collected data March 3-14, 2017, with three email reminders and 347 completed respondent surveys across a total audience population of 65,000, +/- 5.2% at the 95% confidence level; i.e. an accurate and reliable portrait of the Electronic Specifier audience’s attitudes and perceptions regarding distributors.

Resources & Links

Need more info about Digi-Key? Find it all here from press releases, events and contact information to educational resources, videos, and more.

Compliance

Employment of Vietnam-Era Veterans
Digi-Key Electronics complies with all applicable provisions in regard to the employment of Vietnam-Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

Employment of Disabled Individuals
Digi-Key Electronics complies with all applicable provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Certification of Non-Segregated Facilities
Digi-Key Electronics does not and will not maintain or provide for its employees any segregated facilities. It does not and will not permit its employees to perform their services at any location under its control where segregated facilities are maintained.